Is it really leagal to hit and run a dog

My daughters golden retriever was hit in her feild by a man who swertved to hit her. This man almost hit my 9 yr old grandson. My daughter took the dog to the vet, she needs to have screws put into her sholder to heal the brake. The dog will not be able to walk at least a month. My daughter called the state police and they filed a reort but said there is nothing they can do to help? Is this true? Someone can come onto your property hit your dog and leave and have nothing happpen to them? My daughter and at least 5 other poeple witnessed the hit? Please help. Thank you Mrs Kerrigan

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Wow!

Did anyone get the liscense plate number, make and model of car, etc. Do you have a dog law officer from a local SPCA in your area that you could report a case of cruelty? Try calling your local animal shelter and ask if they have a dog officer and see if you can make a report with them. If you don't have the above information of the perpetrator then you have nothing. It would be a misdemenor at best if the police even caught the person. Pets are considered "owned property" like if someone hit and ran your mail box. Sorry to hear such a terrible thing happened to your pet. I hope your pet will be okay and recover fully.

State Police may not be able to do anything, but that does not make it "legal" to hit a dog with a vehicle.

The way our laws work is that dogs are considered property, just like your fence, mail box, etc. would be considered property. If someone runs into your mailbox, or your dog, it is a civil case - you can sue the person for damages. In the case of your fence, you can sue them for replacement cost of the fence. In the case of your dog, you could sue them for the vet bills.

However, for that to happen, you or any of the witnesses will need the license plate number information of the vehicle. With this, State Police can find out who the owner of the vehicle is, and you can file your civil suit against the owner of the vehicle.

That's terrible, people out there are ruthless.
I think that's what happened to mine once.
I guess he can hit her and you would have to catch it on camera.
I really think that's sick!!!
I would push the police some more if there is that many people and they can see tire tracks going off the road, maybe push for reckless driving. You know he could have easily lost control and hit somone. Maybe do some investigating as to where he went off the road. If the tire tracks are there follow up.